The risk of scalding through the use of hot water faucets by certain groups of people, particularly disabled, elderly or young children, is present in many homes or institutions. Often, these people mistake the hot and cold water taps on a faucet or have difficulty operating a faucet which leads to exposure to dangerously hot water from the faucet. Typically, water temperatures in excess of 42.degree. C. can cause injury to unprotected skin. While in various hot water heaters it is possible to set the thermostat to a lower temperature, many hot water tanks have their thermostats set in excess of 60.degree. C. in order to ensure adequate hot water supply to the system for tasks such as laundry or running a dishwasher where a higher water temperature is desired.
Accordingly, there has been a need for products which effectively control the flow of hot water from a faucet to ensure that potentially scalding temperatures are not exceeded by individual faucets in a hot water system.
Past temperature monitoring and shut-off systems exist for controlling the flow of water or a fluid through conduits. Systems also exist with respect to faucets which regulate and control the flow of water to a faucet. These systems often include mechanisms for electronically monitoring the water temperature and adjusting the flow of hot and cold water to control a selected temperature. One disadvantage of these systems is that they are often highly complex requiring complete replacement of an entire faucet to enable their installation. The complexity often leads to an increased cost to the consumer.
Furthermore, these past systems may detract from the aesthetic look of a particular faucet by requiring unsightly attachments to the faucet or, alternatively, requiring the complete replacement of a faucet with a design which does not complement the overall style or look to a bathroom or kitchen. For example, in those systems which do not require replacement of the existing faucet, the installation often detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the faucet either through visible wires, valves and/or complex control panels.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an anti-scald device which may be installed on existing faucets without detracting from the aesthetic look of the faucet, specifically without the use of unsightly wires or valve mechanisms. Furthermore, there has been a need for an anti-scald device which can be readily installed by either a plumber or a lay person with minimal plumbing experience.
Specifically, there has been a need for a device which monitors the temperature of water flowing from a faucet and communicates the temperature information to a controller for processing through a wireless communication link. Information received from the controller may be used for providing a digital display of temperature and/or for controlling a shut-off valve in the event that the water temperature exceeds a pre-set value.
Still further, with respect to the wireless transmission of temperature data, there has been a need to improve the efficiency of power consumption relating to the transmission of temperature and, specifically, a need for a system which transmits temperature data only if a user is present.
Furthermore, while systems exist which allow for touchless control of a faucet, few systems allow a user to control of the temperature the water. In addition, some of these systems pressurize a faucet at the aerator causing stress in the spout and faucet outside of its engineered specifications which may lead to premature failure of the faucet.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an anti-scald device having increased power consumption efficiency through the provision of a user detector enabling non-continuous temperature data transmission. Additionally, there has been a need for an anti-scald device that has the feature of touchless flow control which also eliminates pressurizing the spout and faucet.
A review of the prior art indicates that systems exist which provide water temperature monitoring, control and shut-off in the event of excess temperatures. These include devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,258, 5,184,642, 4,756,030, 4,886,207 and 5,226,629. However, none of these patents disclose a device which addresses and solves the above problems, specifically providing a device which can be readily retrofitted to existing faucets without significantly detracting from the aesthetic look of the faucet.